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That’s the first thing you’ll think when you unleash Deception’s debut EP Break The Silence. And you’d be bloody right too. The second thing you’d think is that the main riff of ‘Break The Silence’ bears just a teeny-tiny resemblance to that of ‘Fuel’ by Metallica. But that’s a minor quibble – shut up and turn it up you fool. Vocalist Daniel Färninger displaying an excellent set of pipes that can both be gravelly but still clear and at the drop of a hat going all Satan-y guttural on us. Nice. The track fairly motors along with its insistent snare and double bass drumming. Next thing you know you’re onto track 2…..

….which displays an ear for the melodic intro. In the vein of ‘Wasted Years' by Iron Maiden, Deception go all open-top-E-string on us on ‘Bury The Sinners’ with guitarists Peter Engström and Oscar Petterson complementing each other with some nice harmony lines that lead into a surprisingly melodic riff. But don’t let this make you think it’s all ponies and candyfloss here “It’s time for humanity to bury its sinners” intones the chorus. Before heading off into a twisty guitar solo and before you know it we’re nodding the head to track 3…..

….’Fragile’ which has the best riff on this EP. Don’t take my word for it. Listen:

It’s the kind of stomping chug that DEMANDS that you bang yer head and start doing one of those old school mosh pits. Just as he does in the previous two tracks, drummer Markus Norlén drives the track admirably with some very tasty footwork. In fact the rhythm section of Norlén and bassist Fredrik Färninger lock together tighter than my hand on a Mr Kipling’s Bakewell slice (which is BLOODY tight let me tell you). A mini guitar solo and then we’re running headlong into….

….the last track on the EP ‘Make A Deal With The Reaper’ by which time you’re looking at your music player and thinking “How is this the last song? I am nowhere near sated. MORE DAMN YOU. MOOOOOOOOOREEEEEEE” before then realising that you can simply hit the repeat button. Silly you. Also, I was brought up watching the Carry On films so I’ll admit to chuckling like a schoolboy at the line “Get down on your knee, make deals with the reaper”…. Not unless he buys me dinner first. Cheeky.

This is a stunning debut EP filled with riffs, speed and energy. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on Deception, with the right management and PR they could make BIG waves in the metal world. Only one major complaint here – there is not enough here you swines. 4 tracks is just not enough! Get back in the studio and give me an album. Go on… shoooooo.

Pan American do soundscapes with ambient intrigue and varying percussive interest. This new album comes after their 2009 work, White Bird Release.

With Cloud Room, Glass Room think floating through another dimension or the sonic equivalent of stargazing. Ambient and soothing, don't fall into the trap believing everything is calm seas and hunky-dory. After the introductory track there is an eerie feeling created with atonal drones during ‘5^th Avenue’, giving a cinematic impression. This is almost like we really are in space and an uncertainty has crept in over the foreign planet.

The varying rhythmic elements keep the interest with Steven Hess now at the percussive helm. ‘Glass Room at the Airport’has drums that scatter and bounce in reverberant delay patterns. ‘Laurel South’uses a wonderful deep bass percussion rhythm, which leads unexpectedly into a dark ambient state with uneasy pitch tones and added percussive layers that builds to an intense anxiousness. 

This album has so much depth you could almost swing your legs and clamber into each layer of sound. But you don't need to put any effort in; you could just lie buoyant on the surface of the sound and then let it wash over you. Mark Nelson, Steven Hess and Pan American have created a delightfully ambient but interesting world we can sink into, shut out our troubles, and sail away to. That is, until you hit an iceberg, and the waves splash up, serves you right for being complacent...

Be sure to have your earphones on and be ready for some mind blowing: I Hear Sirens are back with a new EP after the superb Beyond the Sea, Beneath the Sky. Directly from Salt Lake City, Utah, I Hear Sirens are Daved Harris, Adrienne Robson, Eric Olofson and David Qualls: a 4 pieces instrumental post-rock band formed in the Fall of 2005 that blew minds with their first EP titled like the band name.

May 7th is the release date for their new five track EP, Between Consciousness And Sleep, and if you love post-rock like I do this EP will become your next addiction because it represents what post-rock music should be: you will feel the music, you will feel that music is a personal experience and the music itself will be what you would imagine it to be.

The album opens with the song that titled the EP, 'Between Consciousness And Sleep' and I think the title is perfect for this music. It starts slowly with a superb guitar because you are still sleeping; it’s a soft start that after few seconds leaves the scene to an explosion of vibrating and powerful music. Now you realize that you are not sleeping anymore but instead you are finally conscious about what post-rock is. Just a pause to let you feel the music and the story continues with an awesome voice that seems not to be of this world. It puts you in another dimension with the typical guitar of post-rock in the background. The travel is finished, now you really are in another place, you are on the horizon where swallows play with soft clouds and in the end the moon goes down to rest.

The story continues with the 5 minutes track 'Lights and Clockwork': sun raised and light is everywhere. You can explore the world around you walking on soft clouds and imagine fabulous creatures around you. The last minute and half has a faster rhythm: the guitar lines, the drum beats and the bass run increase bringing you in a vertigo and u cannot stop moving leaded by that rhythm. Each arrangement is masterfully constructed to let the listeners to write his own story.

Just after the first two tracks it’s quite evident that the EP must be listened to entirely so we won’t jump to another song but we’ll continue our trip towards 'Illuminating Frequencies'. I’ve always found the song titles from I Hear Sirens really original and somehow inspiring where that song will lead the listener. So this time we achieved the area of illuminated frequencies where there’s no more space for soft music. We already got our clockwork and we land in a vibrating island. In some parts this track led me to think about Explosions in The Sky, recognizing a similar way of layering instrument upon instrument and provoking emotions on emotions. For sure I Hear Sirens love that band as all real post rockers do.

The victory of the king arrives soon with 'Pyrrhic Victory': even in the most fabulous world of my trip I’ve never thought about mythological personages but this time the band itself chooses to put us in a battlefield. Not to affect your fantasy but because this song fits perfectly with a victory celebration. I love the way they choose to end this song.

The album closer 'I Am The Fading Sun' is a song filled with aching beauty with a short piano interlude that is so short but also so effective in breaking the rhythm and leaving it to restart few seconds later; it’s epic and it dissolves in a dreaming, melancholic and somber melody. And the listener now deserves a special gift: the vocal arrives despite post-rock music is most of the time fully instrumental and I Hear Sirens uses it wonderfully. Daved Harris should use it more often.

I Hear Sirens couldn't find a better way to end this EP, leaving you astonished, Between Consciousness and Sleeping.

This album is (honestly) a little bit terrifying. In order to be prepared for The Synthetic Dream Foundation you have to get into a fantasy frame of mind and think of scoring a deep underworld in a gaming adventure. Yet, even in this mindset, this music can only be described as a warped Evanescence drowned in 80s nostalgia.

The electronic drumkit and synthesised sounds underneath some classical vocals create the feeling of a cheesy power ballad. It is a lot to digest for an average musical palette; even for the extremely open-minded out there.

When you analyse the sound carefully, there is nothing original happening and there are standard 80s musical forms being used with repeated synth patterns, sustained synths and horn countermelodies, with the drumbeat driving the song. The vocals themselves are pretty average and overall the sound is pretty ugly on the ears.

The Synthetic Dream Foundation seem to offer an album that is purely a statement of personal expression and sadly, nothing else.

The Ocean along with the likes of Cult of Luna have become the flag bearers of post-metal. With a string of already excellent releases behind them they may just have topped them all with Pelagial. Okay so Precambrian is a bit of a classic but it's not fully representative of what The Ocean's sound is since Heliocentric/Anthropocentric.

Pelagial is the sound of a band fully at the top of their game. Initially devised and written as an instrumental album due to singer  Loïc Rossetti taking ill. Pelagial is a single body of work, flowing together effortlessly. After Loïc had recovered it was decided he had to be involved, so it now is released in both vocal and instrumental versions. Double the pleasure for us as either way it's a remarkable album. Personally I enjoy the full experience of the vocal  version and will focus on it for this review, but it's relevant to either.

I've mentioned Pelagial was written as one single piece of music and essentially it is. Although, there are physical markers and track names, it all flows together. Melodies and riffs also reappear throughout the course of the 53 minute running time. Though these are subtle and more noticeable when fully immersed in the albums brilliance.

What stands The Ocean apart from others is their blending of melodic progressiveness and post-metal heaviness. Pelagial begins in more melodic style and if you think of the theme of the album gets darker and heavier the further you go into it.

When I received the album I had only a brief understanding of the concept but was eager to listen to the music. So it's testament to the quality I've subconsciously absorbed what I think they had hoped to achieve when writing. Pelagial is in the truest sense a journey, the theme of the album takes you from calm surface like serenity to being plunged in darkness weighed by pressure. Along the way you experience different levels of melody, emotion and heaviness. Like the various depths if the ocean itself, riffs pull and weigh you down. At other times melodic flourishes, feel like the beauty and otherworldly environment that lies under the surface. It honestly is represented in the music and translates while listening which can't always be said of concepts. Due to other commitments I've been listening mostly in my car on route to work. Usually when reviewing, I do so with headphones and little distraction. The fact that Pelagial has impacted strongly on me musically and conceptually is a further achievement of its greatness. Although when I've had the chance I have also experienced it headphones on late at night.

The Ocean have produced probably their most cohesive and accomplished work here. Despite it being intended as a whole piece, any of the tracks could be taken individually and marveled at. It works best though from start to finish. Such is the strength of Pelagial I'm not going to single out tracks, or moments for praise. For a start there are too many to list, instead I urge you to take the journey with them. The Ocean have delivered a  concept that is a metaphorical one, the themes, feelings and emotions felt listening can be attached to various facets of life. Either way its an experience I will be taking time and again due to the music and delivery.

Pelagial is destined to be one of the year's best releases. With a standard double album and expanded special edition with extra artwork and accompanying film available it makes it an essential purchase either way. The Ocean is released through Pelagic Records and Metal Blade Records on April 29th (EU) and 30th (US).

For those who are interested, read our interview with Robin Staps here.

The opening of this album is the stuff nightmares and dreams are made of. 'Mills' is more a mission statement that anything I've ever heard. Four minutes of just flat out amazing power, yes, power. A force to be reckoned with. The fact being, Altar of Plagues probably pack more emotion into those first four minutes of bass and synths than most bands you've listened to this year.

I was very excited about being able to review this album based on previous albums, and all the good things I had heard about it. To say those expectations I had were met would be an understatement. Altar of Plagues have delivered an album of beautiful melancholy, dissonance, loathing, hatred, anger…I’m running out of words to really describe it. Not that any actual words will do it justice. That said, I’ll give it a shot, eh?

After opener 'Mills' we are subjected to an instant attack of blackened distortion and pummel on 'God Alone'. At times the instruments becoming even trance inducing, demanding me to feel enraged, engulfed in all I hate. The final few minutes of the song break into haunting chants and synths, (I recommend you have a great set of speakers or headphones to really FEEL this album and the power it has). Up next 'A Body Shrouded' barrows from hints of shoegaze, post-whatever-the-fuck, and shows a softer set of music to start. This eventually gives way to the screams and sounds of torture. It just doesn't come off as only black metal. I understand the black metal sound is open for interpretation nowadays (depending on who you ask), but this is truly primitive emotion summoning music.

'Twelve Was Ruin' and  'A Remedy And A Fever' are somewhat subdued tracks, very primal and electronic. If that makes no sense to you please do not take it as a bad thing. That is a very, very, very good thing. The English language almost fails me as to what words I can use to describe this. Instead imagine the tranced look on my face and my heart racing while my body cannot move. Maybe that helps?

The final three tracks on this album are monumental. Such energy and power just emitting from the speakers. Primal drumbeats, nervous guitars, screaming waves of sound, vocals that sound of a man at the end of his rope and ready to take the leap; This is the album every band wishes they could write, record and sell to the masses. This is a work of brutal honestly and devotion. Anybody looking to start a band these days needs to take notes from Altar of Plagues, and put this album on repeat. This is how you fucking do it.

HAIL!!!!!

Teethed Glory And Injury will be available on April 29th via Candlelight Records  in the EU and on April 30th via Profound Lore Records in the US/CAN. If you want to know how it’s done, go and buy this album. You’ll be inspired to start, or give up totally. I don’t blame you for either. Support the bands you love and enjoy, go and buy this album.

I just wanna start the review by say in a big thank you to Dirt Box Disco for bringing back some real proper punk.  I don't mean the radio friendly mess the likes of Green Day, Blink 182 or Fallout Boy et al, you know the stuff that you can hear grannies, granda's, mum's and dad's singin' along to on the radio after a brainwashing 300 rotation per week onslaught!!  Punk was/is about rebellion against whatever, all with attitude.  Not about earning millions, overproducing music or rehab.  I don't think that PeopleMadeOfPaper will ever be heard on mainstream radio due to titles, lyrical content and the look of the band and for that I am truly happy.  The only downside to this is that the millions of people who will all be missing out on a fantastic 2nd album from this band from the UK who were formed in 2009.

The songs on this 12 track album are bursting with pure punk attitude, with fantastic hooks and sing-along choruses.  Honestly there isn't 1 bad song on it.  After the first listen I was constantly singing 'My Life Is Shit'  and the funny thing is my life isn't even shit, but I can't help myself.  Listening to this album reminds me of hearing Nirvana's Incesticide for the very first time and in particular 'Son of a Gun',  I would say that this would be the overall feel of PeopleMadeOfPaper but I don't really want to cloud anyone's judgement by reeling off a list of punk bands who may or may not influence Dirt Box Disco 'cause that would do them a big disservice as they have got their own sound and style that I would urge you to check out.  I really can't single out a favourite track and I've been listening to it for nearly a week solid!!.  These guys are great songwriters with an ear for really catchy melodies which I could guarantee would have you singing along to after 1 spin.

The band describe themselves from the Press Release as follows: "Born from the malfunction of a terrible musical chemical laboratory experiment! DIRT BOX DISCO are now free to roam from city to town, spreading the sonic filth to anyone that will listen, and people do listen! and they like what they hear! they like what they see! pure entertainment in every word!  Can you look at them and not think WTF?  NO! but they will titillate you into submission with a cascade of verbal and visual pleasure!  That is a definite! are you ready to rock n' roll? are you ready for Dirt Box Disco?", and who knows better than they do.

So to WEAB.I.AM, SPUNK VOLCANO, MAFF FAZZO, DANNY FINGERS and DEADBEATZ CHRISI offer a sincere thanks for a truly epic punk album. PeopleMadeOfPaper by Dirt Box Disco is an album that Billy Joe Armstrong wishes he could write instead of those "punk" opera type deals that he insists on spewing out for my granddad.  So now that difficult 2nd album is over let's be having the 3rd.

A year after their debut album, Richmond, VA post-rock quartet Shy, Low has released a follow-up record of two songs called Binary Opposition. It’s a bit of a shift from the album, with both songs being longer than previous efforts, and slightly crisper, clearer production. What’s not new is their use of contrast, such as that between ‘Heavy Hands’ and ‘Light Feet’ from the album.

There’s also the familiar explosive crescendocore, tremolo, arpeggios, layering and dynamics you expect from this type of instrumental rock. Of course it’s that expectation and familiarity that leaves many thinking one post-rock song and one record sounds just like the other while for others there’s enough difference to keep feeding the addiction. If the sound is not groundbreaking, as is the case here, the worth of the record comes down to how it makes you feel, and by that criteria Shy, Low pick up where they left off with a noticeably more cinematic and emotional feel.

The first track ‘Presence’ begins slowly and deeply with layers of guitar building an ambient drone until they introduce some melody a couple of minutes in. Drums appear a third of the way in and the whole lot reaches a solid climax and drop-off before a second wind takes as to a thunderous last minute.

‘Absence’ is filled with more tension and sadness by comparison, despite its faster pace, and gets very heavy around the midpoint before layers of guitar and percussion pull the pace back for a drawn-out conclusion.

While Binary Opposition doesn’t break new ground it’s difficult to fault the writing and performance. Although long songs there is vast variety with elements that range from droning repetition to a single pair of chiming notes at the four minute mark of ‘Absence’. The texture, depth and emotion make this an enjoyable listen.

Things to do before you die part 1, catch Dublin’s No Spill Blood playing live. Part 2 would be make sure you hear their debut e.p Street Meat. They made their Belfast debut last year and I didn’t make it then, managing to avoid the grim reaper I ventured out to see them in Bar Sub at Queen’s Union supporting fellow Sargent House rockers Fang Island. Street Meat has been on repeat play since I first heard it and to watch the band recreate every nuance of its incredible forceful and brutal sound was a joyous experience. Not every day you see brutal and joyous in the same sentence, that’s what No Spill Blood make you do, they’re utterly unique.

Featuring Matt Hedigan on Bass/Vocals, Ruadhan O’Meara on effects (I do not know the exact instrumentation he was playing) and the supremely talented and ridiculously moustachioed Lar Kaye on drums, these 3 guys give their absolute all in the quest to kill off what hearing I have left. Opening with the vicious ‘No Retreat’ initial attention is focused on Matt, a huge and hirsute man who twists out sinewy bass lines while bellowing blood curdling howls, the lyrics indecipherable. With the greatest respect, he looks like the sort of chap you wouldn’t want to be meeting down a dark alley. Probably a thoroughly decent bloke.

How do you follow this? Simple, you launch straight into Street Meat’s other highlight, the uber-funky ‘Junior’ which does to your gut what ‘No Retreat’ just did to your ears with its throbbing bass grooves and sequencer squelches. Then it happens…what the hell is going on mid-stage? There seems to be one amazing party-up session going on behind the drum kit where a man-octopus is liberally knocking seven shades of shite out of a very basic drum kit. Once he gets you transfixed, there is no stopping the compulsive viewing on offer. The crowd don’t do much in the way of dancing (though I really wanted to let loose, it’s been such a while!) but Lar Kaye is jiggling and shaking, twitching and flailing, posturing and preening, all while underpinning the extremely tight rhythms No Spill Blood generate. I don’t want to harp on about his facial hair, but my goodness, you have to see it twitch mid-air in the frenzy of his drumming.

There’s a few new tunes on offer tonight, didn’t catch their names, Matt’s thick mumbled accent offers little in the way of intelligible English. I want more recorded output to compliment the 6-track e.p they put out last year, if these tunes are anything to go by, I want them now. One featured the most brilliant winding bassline and spaced out freaky sounds, perfectly mixed and presented by seriously talented musicians.

The fact that a sweat drenched Lar Kaye popped off stage, put on a hat and got straight back up again to play bass with Fang Island should not go unnoticed. He also plays incredible guitar for Adebisi Shank, I seriously contemplated kidnapping him for my own personal studio bitch but then Matt strode past and I thought better of it.

You always know when a band are ones to watch when other bands who are ones to watch are in attendance. No Spill Blood. Remember, before you die…

Having slowly built up a head of steam over the last couple of years The Fag Machine have finally come of age with Daylight Saving, their debut album. The product of an extended birth, perfectionists at heart, The Fag Machine have built on their early demos to create a beast of an album which is both retrospective in its influences and forward looking in its delivery.

Casting aside the visceral punk of earlier outings, indeed ‘Salt Lick’ is the only nod to that past, they have embraced the sound of 1960's garage rock and added some B-movie lyrics inspired in no part by Nick Cave. The Fag Machine show intent from the off with ‘Ivory Snow’, a song which encompasses black humour and seriousness. All psychedelic guitars and snarling vocals, it was made to open up an album.

By ‘Waxwork’ the band are spreading out their sound and finally settle into a groove. Both early 80's Factory or Bauhaus and Nuggets era garage, it is epic in proportion without quite tipping over into what could so easily have been Classic Rock territory. ‘Limousine’ carries this on with its cascading melody akin to an old Joy Division song and frontman Phil Chennels slipping into yet another character from his disturbed dreams.

A special nod must be made to the rhythm section who anchor these songs in some sort of reality whilst the twin guitar attack takes you up and onwards. ‘Gone to Ground’, the best song here, is a perfect example of this as its extended coda sets its heart for the sun. This is dark psychedelia though, a bad trip.

‘Formaldehyde’, a link to the past but now completely reworked opens up with a forbidding organ and then turns into some sort of woozy fair ride. Imagine all those old Edgar Allen Poe movies and you have The Fag Machine distilled on this song.

Coming off the back of this, ‘Off The Shoulder’ is shocking in its almost day-glo pop and you can imagine none other than Jarvis Cocker writhing about to it, What it does it set you up for the final coda of title track ‘Daylight Saving’ which is a grinding beast of a song which threatens to fall apart at times but just about keeps itself going for the final retribution. Mechanical, orgiastic and utterly thrilling.

For a debut album, they don't come much more fully formed than this and this is a band who haven't seen sight of a record label yet. Completely self-funded and done for the love of the music, it is testament to their belief that Daylight Saving turns out so well. I may be slightly biased as I know the band very well, but I put it to you, The Fag Machine are here, and they are not going anywhere, anytime soon.

00y 18 is the solo project of a 19-year old guy from Austria called Michael Zimmel. According to his little bio on the bandcamp page, 00y 18 started a few years ago with more musicians but currently it’s completely run by Zimmel who writes and records everything himself.

Looking at the tags that come with this 3-track release Stahlstadt (which translates as ‘steel city’), this is something I am going to enjoy. “Sludge, doom, drone, instrumental, post-metal” are all tags that activate my radar. And Zimmel also very nicely made the comparison of his music with bands such as ISIS and Amenra.

Especially the Amenra comparison hits the nail on the head. From the opening seconds of first track ‘Das Stahlwerk’, the so familiar Amenra sound is immediately very clear. This sound becomes even more obvious once we hit the second track ‘Linz’. It is not a bad thing though as I absolutely love this guitar tone, similarly hitting heavy fuzz and higher distorted bits.

The last track ‘Zerstörung’ continues the line set with the previous 2 tracks nicely. Zimmel made use of programmed drums when he recorded this EP and on the first 2 tracks this is not bothering me much, but on this last track it starts to sound a little bit of a repetition as it’s the same rhythm going on for nearly 5 minutes without any changes in tempo or accents.

All in all, Michael Zimmel, or 00y 18, released an interesting EP with Stahlstadt, which is produced nicely and will interest Amenra fans, and fans of the post-metal and sludge genres. There is a lot of potential here.

Ahh Mainliner, a bunch of psychedelic Japanese chaps including Acid Mother Temple’s Kawabata Makoto on guitar. They were going for ‘The World’s Most Maxed out, fuzzed out band’ award between 1996 and 2001 but then they stopped making music… bollocks! Anyway, after a 12 year recording hiatus and now armed with Kawabe Taigen from Bo Ningen on bass they are back with Revelation Space! Has there ever been better news in the history of visible the universe? Not really, no.

Mainliner’s sound can be compared to some long haired Japanese guy storming into your bedroom and smashing your skull with a breezeblock for 40 odd minutes (in the best possible way of course). The good news is the breezeblock effect against your skull is still there, the hugely distorted guitars conjure up a hurricane of carnage! You can feel it in the first couple of seconds of the opening track also named ‘Revelation Space’; you are immediately assaulted with enough feedback to take out a massive tank factory. This time however, hidden behind the wall of sheer brutality there is a hint of mellowness intertwining with it, it sounds like chilled retro grooves being created by some random stoner at the back of the room who doesn’t know what day it is. Don’t get me wrong though, the crushing guitars still dominate this record and it’s still arguably the heaviest music you could ever treat your mind to, it just offers another dimension. The vocals are trippy and soulful, they manage to stand up to the chaos and join in, making a significant contribution to turn ‘Revelation Space’ into a real ermm… revelation.

There are changes of pace, which often means tearing into another doom-esque jam that will make you nod your head like a mother fucker. Think Earthless and Merzbow hammering out an unrehearsed collaboration album whilst having swallowed broadsheet sized tabs of industry strength acid. There’s not a hint of disappointment with this long awaited beast and it is more than worth the wait. It finishes with ‘New Sun’ which is a 20 minute plus jam which is nothing short of legendary. It’s so full on that there will be times you find yourself in a dark tunnel, wondering if things have gonetoo far whilst you fearfully stare down it towards a bright light. My advice would be to reach for the light with open arms, let Revelation Space take you wherever it wants you to go… there’s no escape.

Breach were a highly influential band on many artists and gained cult-like status. Since their break up frontman Thomas Hallbom has kept himself busy but not always in the limelight.  That may change now  however with his new band The Old Wind.

Thomas has written and played all instruments on Feast On Your Gone, which given its brilliance is stunning. Realising the need to bring the songs to the live setting he recruited some friends. Two other members of Breach and Robin Staps of The Ocean will join him for the live shows.

So, it was with a bit of excitement that I received The Old Wind, and it doesn't disappoint. Musically it reminds me of KEN mode or Kowloon Walked City at times, but with a bleaker out look. Also it verges on Cult of Luna's post-metal but with Tomas' musical pedigree it's mostly original and fresh sounding and he is one of the originator's of that whole sound .

The dark feel of the album is likely to Thomas writing the album in his words "when in need of therapy" and reflects the demons he was seeking to exorcise at the time.  Tracks like opener 'In Fields' are full of tension and melancholic heaviness. The album ebbs and flows throughout and the emotions spent by Thomas make it an envigorating and engaging listen. 'I'm Dead' crawls at funeral pace, captivating and mesmerising it's clear to see how influential Thomas  has been on so many bands who have probably enjoyed more success than Breach ever managed.

'Raveneye' bursts with cathartic rage and monolithic weight, the track 'The Old Wind' is a seven minute journey through post-metal's finest. Painting a picture of despair and  desolation, it is truly amazing.

Feast On Your Gone in all is an album to lose yourself in for the duration. It's also a reminder of one of the world of post-something's greatest visionaries and its good to have him back. 

The album is available through the brilliant Pelagic records on April 20th and can be ordered now.

As far as I know, I’m half Norwegian, a quarter English, and eighth something and another eighth Irish. Now, I have red hair, I don’t much like whiskey (ok, DIDN’T when I used to drink, now that I don’t drink its all I want), I do have a shitty temper and I love me some potatoes. And boats, love boats. Love swimming. Love lighting shit on fire/ blowing shit up. The cold doesn’t get to me much….so does this kind of make me a Viking? There are a few other activities I do or have enjoyed that I cannot mention on our fucking rated G website here, but they fall in line with Viking tendencies. Sadly though, I did recently shave my huge beard off (shut up you Nancy boys) in favor of a nice mustache. Either way, maybe that explains why I love this Wandersword album so much! Ah ha!!!

Sung in all Russian and originally released in Russia only on Russian label Firestorm Productions, Waiting for War is now getting its rightful moment in the light throughout the world. We can thank Blasphemour Records for noticing the strength of these Russian musicians. The album opens up with a title track that is drumbeats and bagpipes calling the ocean breeze. Wind through our hair, our boat secure, we are ready!!!! Next in line is ‘The Valiant Viking’, full of guitars splashing waves our way, drums as our rhythm as we row the open waters. Prepare men, no turning back now!!!!

Some of the men seem to question the captain with ‘Scarlet Sunset’. Rage and sadness filled guitars whine away while madness sweeps parts of the crew. We’ve been out here for days, and nothing found yet. The comfort of a mandolin (?) helps to calm the crowd before the captain barks his speech back with a triumphant guitar chug and a slight off beat drum pattern. Have no fear men, we are almost there!!!! Although the vocals may lead you to think the captain slightly gone mad himself at points. Crazed with his obsession of loot and treasures.

Later on ‘Peaceful Guard’ starts off with an orchestrated view of the landscape. We have arrived!!! Everyone on shore!!! The guitars ring of quick riffs and lines of joy, upbeat tempos and the drums as moving as ever. Quickly now. But out of nowhere, ’40 Warriors’ plays back and forth with aggressive on the go beats and guitars, and melancholy tones. Towards the end, a sound of hammer and steel, a reminder of how we got here. Then a “fuck yes” inducing guitar cadence and group vocals.

‘Northern Gates’ is the sound of plucked mandolins and almost black metal speeds and tempos. All speed here. Taking down an entire village and all the treasures and women it has to offer. At the end just a horn and a marching drum, back to the boat we go. ‘Russia’, the closer, is the sound of victory. A flute that leads way to struck chords and pummel drum beats. In comes some orchestration yet again and the voice of a gone mad captain. The vocals eventually take on a new tone, looks like the mutiny won. On home with the flute still guiding us.

Step 1) No shaving or cutting of the hair for at least 9 months. Step 2) Gain 40 pounds. Step 3) Get used to the churning seas, no one wants to put up with a puker. Step 4) Go grab Waiting for War on April 16th, physical copies in the US and digital worldwide. Step 5) Don’t forget who helped ya on the way to your destiny and share the wealth.

HAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A swirling cacophony of drums, guitars and keyboard welcomes us into the wonderfully tight opening track ‘Obelisk Monolith’ that oozes melody, pace, wit and invention which continues throughout this cracking 26-minute debut from Brighton 3-piece The Physics House Band.

The aforementioned opening track rips along with adds several break-downs and build-ups to add drama and never outstays its 5 minute duration for a second. A tremendous attention-grabbing track …..

‘Abraxical Solapse’ showcases the undoubted technical skills of these young lads without lapsing into ‘noodling for the sake of noodling’ territory and there are enough quirky beats, dislocated chords and chunking riffs to make this a really interesting, but complex, track.

‘Hollow Mountain’ then comes into view shimmering like a heat-haze with ethereal guitar loops, delicate synths and an atmospheric, light feel. A wonderful little interlude with a hint of the early work of Japanese band Mono.

The pace picks up again as a gorgeous riff brings us to ‘Teratology’ which reminds me of The Fierce and the Dead at their best. Mad guitar work cascades all around the central riff with a real tension. Add a bit of nuclear drumming, drop off back to the opening riff and you have one hell of a succinct, bloody good track.

Did I mention this was instrumental by the way?  To be honest, I hadn’t even noticed this even after a few plays, which is a sign how engaging this music is.

There are some great ideas on the debut, none more so on the second quiet track ‘The Spectral Beyond’ where the chinking single note, building up, suggests a sound-track with space and light and hints of Craig Armstrong. This track could really be developed into something special – as it is, it’s a little breather before the final track ‘Titan’ which takes us into prog-jazz-funk territory and completes a wonderfully engaging debut album.

There are not many notes wasted on this album. It is tight as hell, technically clever, melodic and rhythmic - definitely one to watch.